I'm looking to buy some property with about a 3 acre pond.  I'm pretty sure it was dug and is spring fed.  How do I get some fish in there????

Welcome to the forums.

Contact Mr Greg Grimes at Aquatic Environmental Services, Inc. in North Atlanta. He will be glad to help you out.

770-735-3523 Fax: 770-737-5135

www.lakework.com

Lots of states have Conservation Departments or Departments of Natural Resources which offer free stocking programs.

And you may want to call your Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to see if they will "shock" your pond to see the types of fish in the water, if any.

Also, don't forget to find out if there is a charge for this service.

Lots of states have Conservation Departments or Departments of Natural Resources which offer free stocking programs.

Along with assessing your lake and giving you the best stocking ratio's of species for maximum success.  

Contact your DNR/ Game and Inland Fisheries.  They will have all the info on what to stock and how much.  Also who to contact to get fish.  When we stocked ours, you placed your order at a feed store, and then a truck would come once every couple months and you would pick up your fish.  

What Jig Man says and your state DNR will most likely give you some information on what and how many to plant and just as important how much to harvest.

From what I've seen private ponds suffer the most from not enough  harvest and stunted, undersize fish.

The advice you are being given is right on. First, assess the pond. Consider bringing in a pro...you can learn a lot from someone who does it for a living.

What are your goals? That helps to decide if the pond will do what you want it to.

The first thing I always look at is habitat...always. As goes the habitat, so goes what lives in it. At the same time, I look at the structural integrity of the dam and determine if it needs help or is fine as it is.

Then, I look at the fishery via electrofishing or angling records. I want to know what species exist and what kind of shape they are in. I also want to know the ratios of young fish to older fish.

At the same time, I am evaluating things such as water quality, plant communities and how much shallow water there is.

After that, we talk and figure out what to do.

More often than not, we aren't stocking fish into an existing pond to make sure it has fish. We often stock it to add missing size classes or to adjust the genetics.

Greg Grimes is an excellent choice to help you in your neck of the woods.